Louise start dinner and Hannah and I carry in the bags.’
‘I second that,’ Hannah said.
Corrine let out a sigh, as though being injured was exhausting. ‘Well, if someone can find my icebag and someone else can look for glasses, I’ll have the next bottle of champagne ready and waiting when you’re finished.’
As they approached, Jodie could see the road was really one long driveway leading straight up the hill to the barn. If it wasn’t for the undulation of the land, she figured they could turn around and see right down to the house at the turn-off. The headlights bounced across the front of the barn as they approached and she squinted to make out some detail. The dark timber gave away little more than its boxy shape. High external walls were topped with a squat A-frame roof, making it look too tall for its width. A door set in the middle of the facade was bordered with two windows on either side and a low, covered verandah ran across the front and around both sides. It probably met out of sight at the back.
‘It looks like something a five-year-old would draw,’ Jodie said.
‘It looks like a barn,’ Corrine said.
‘It looks great,’ Lou said.
Jodie stopped on a gravel parking pad in front of the building, aiming the headlights at the door so they wouldn’t have to fumble with the lock in the dark. It was cold outside and damp underfoot and she reached back into the car for her coat before climbing the half-dozen steps to the door ahead of Hannah and Louise. A row of shrubs along the front had kept the verandah from view but once up the stairs, they saw a cosy arrangement of wicker chairs and a small table.
‘You booked, so you get the first look,’ Hannah said, handing her the key on a ring.
She unlocked the door and pushed it hesitantly. This place had better be as good as it looked on the website or Corrine would never let her forget it. She fumbled for the light and flipped a switch.
‘Wow.’ She stepped aside for the others to go in and sent a thumbs up to Corrine in the car.
They entered a huge, open space, probably the whole left half of the barn. The ceiling was so high the light fixtures had been hung a metre or so under the crossbeams, which were supported by two massive old tree trunks that stood like sentinels on either side of the room. Three generous sofas were arranged in a cosy U around a fireplace that dominated the far end of the room. Heavy white curtains ran the full length of the back wall, covering what Jodie assumed were windows that overlooked the valley beyond the hill they were on. A large and rustic dining table was placed to take in the view at meal times. Opposite the front door, tucked into an alcove in the rear, right-hand corner of the room, a gourmet kitchen glowed in the sheen of its marble tops.
Jodie opened a door near the kitchen, flicked a few light switches and saw it led to a hallway that ran through the centre of the building to the rooms in the other half of the B & B. At the end was a huge bedroom that, like the main room, spanned the width of the barn. She guessed the doors on either side of the corridor led to a second, smaller bedroom and a bathroom.
Hannah ran her hand along the smooth, black surface of the kitchen’s island bench. ‘Nice, Jodie.’
As Louise removed the fireplace screen and began stuffing newspaper in the hearth, Jodie said to Hannah, ‘Let’s get the bags.’
‘Let’s get the big one with the sprained ankle first.’
Louise looked up at Hannah from the fireplace, eyebrows raised in surprise. She turned to Jodie and grinned. Jodie put a hand to her mouth and the three of them burst into laughter.
The sound bounced around the room, breaking the strain of the last few hours. Such a pity Corrine wasn’t there to appreciate the moment. Not the ‘big bag’ line – she might not get the joke – but the laughing with abandon. That’s what they went away for. And right now, Jodie needed it.
A couple of minutes later
‘I second that,’ Hannah said.
Corrine let out a sigh, as though being injured was exhausting. ‘Well, if someone can find my icebag and someone else can look for glasses, I’ll have the next bottle of champagne ready and waiting when you’re finished.’
As they approached, Jodie could see the road was really one long driveway leading straight up the hill to the barn. If it wasn’t for the undulation of the land, she figured they could turn around and see right down to the house at the turn-off. The headlights bounced across the front of the barn as they approached and she squinted to make out some detail. The dark timber gave away little more than its boxy shape. High external walls were topped with a squat A-frame roof, making it look too tall for its width. A door set in the middle of the facade was bordered with two windows on either side and a low, covered verandah ran across the front and around both sides. It probably met out of sight at the back.
‘It looks like something a five-year-old would draw,’ Jodie said.
‘It looks like a barn,’ Corrine said.
‘It looks great,’ Lou said.
Jodie stopped on a gravel parking pad in front of the building, aiming the headlights at the door so they wouldn’t have to fumble with the lock in the dark. It was cold outside and damp underfoot and she reached back into the car for her coat before climbing the half-dozen steps to the door ahead of Hannah and Louise. A row of shrubs along the front had kept the verandah from view but once up the stairs, they saw a cosy arrangement of wicker chairs and a small table.
‘You booked, so you get the first look,’ Hannah said, handing her the key on a ring.
She unlocked the door and pushed it hesitantly. This place had better be as good as it looked on the website or Corrine would never let her forget it. She fumbled for the light and flipped a switch.
‘Wow.’ She stepped aside for the others to go in and sent a thumbs up to Corrine in the car.
They entered a huge, open space, probably the whole left half of the barn. The ceiling was so high the light fixtures had been hung a metre or so under the crossbeams, which were supported by two massive old tree trunks that stood like sentinels on either side of the room. Three generous sofas were arranged in a cosy U around a fireplace that dominated the far end of the room. Heavy white curtains ran the full length of the back wall, covering what Jodie assumed were windows that overlooked the valley beyond the hill they were on. A large and rustic dining table was placed to take in the view at meal times. Opposite the front door, tucked into an alcove in the rear, right-hand corner of the room, a gourmet kitchen glowed in the sheen of its marble tops.
Jodie opened a door near the kitchen, flicked a few light switches and saw it led to a hallway that ran through the centre of the building to the rooms in the other half of the B & B. At the end was a huge bedroom that, like the main room, spanned the width of the barn. She guessed the doors on either side of the corridor led to a second, smaller bedroom and a bathroom.
Hannah ran her hand along the smooth, black surface of the kitchen’s island bench. ‘Nice, Jodie.’
As Louise removed the fireplace screen and began stuffing newspaper in the hearth, Jodie said to Hannah, ‘Let’s get the bags.’
‘Let’s get the big one with the sprained ankle first.’
Louise looked up at Hannah from the fireplace, eyebrows raised in surprise. She turned to Jodie and grinned. Jodie put a hand to her mouth and the three of them burst into laughter.
The sound bounced around the room, breaking the strain of the last few hours. Such a pity Corrine wasn’t there to appreciate the moment. Not the ‘big bag’ line – she might not get the joke – but the laughing with abandon. That’s what they went away for. And right now, Jodie needed it.
A couple of minutes later
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